discussion AOC criticized for organizing military recruiting event targeted at teens of color

[Communion]

 

Edited March 19, 2023 by Communion

[Ryan]

Y’all will complain about everything. 

[Communion]

8 minutes ago, Ryan said:

Y’all will complain about everything. 

Only complaining about things AOC herself has complained about!

 

There's no meaningful argument that military recruiting on Twitch is predatory because it can target minors but then supports events where the military can recruit minors at low-income schools.

 

"Not allowing the military to propagandize to poor teens because the military is largely bad" is a pretty standard view to demand someone have to be seen as progressive, even amongst lefty-liberals. 

 

Of course it could have been an oversight on her office when scheduling events for her to co-sponsor, but the optics of how she has walked back several progressive stances since 2020 are bad and pose harm in further disillusioning people from thinking electoral politics, as AOC claims, is an effective means of change. 

 

 

[nathanspears]

Where’s the picture of the US bombs but with a pride flag on it?

[liver]

13 minutes ago, nathanspears said:

Where’s the picture of the US bombs but with a pride flag on it?

 

 

 

[Archetype]

MET Gala queen really said yes military yes bombs 

[Daniel767]

Yikes .. hypocritical 

[Zoe_]

I'm not sure what AOC stans regarding the military is, but I have to be honest. Some people need the military. 

[jadeabove]

It's one thing to criticize this move, and I agree that disenfranchised individuals should not be subject to this sort of military propaganda, but some people online are just completely being disrespectful for someone who has literally put her life on the line on various occasions to serve her district. 

 

I'm curious to see how she approaches this, because I really feel like she's one of the most fascinating political figures in the States today. I hope I won't be disappointed.

[Sesame]

U.S. Department of Education, internship opportunities just getting casually overlooked. Why am I not surprised?  

[Jotham]

Opportunities with the Department of Education? I wish I had this as a high schooler.

[Otter]

Amongst other things you've seen what's going on in Ukrain and you feel you don't need an army. Okay!

 

Edited March 19, 2023 by Otter

[Lara Croft]

Biggest hypocrite in Congress 

[Communion]

14 minutes ago, Sesame said:

U.S. Department of Education

The US Department of Education are listed because it's an event for service academies - the armed forces' version of colleges, that have to be overseen by the Department of Education, while being run by the Department of Defense. Graduation is then tied to enlistment, ie: you get your engineering degree paid for and a living stipend, but then have to spend the next 5 years helping the DoD build deadlier bombs.

 

Her continued support for service academies is very reactionary and further complicates her claim to be progressive, as the military-industrial complex is the largest lobbyist against Free College, one of her pillar beliefs:

 

 

[Lara Croft]

[ClashAndBurn]

1 hour ago, Communion said:

The US Department of Education are listed because it's an event for service academies - the armed forces' version of colleges, that have to be overseen by the Department of Education, while being run by the Department of Defense. Graduation is then tied to enlistment, ie: you get your engineering degree paid for and a living stipend, but then have to spend the next 5 years helping the DoD build deadlier bombs.

 

Her continued support for service academies is very reactionary and further complicates her claim to be progressive, as the military-industrial complex is the largest lobbyist against Free College, one of her pillar beliefs:

 

 

She's probably seen the writing on the wall: progressivism and the left in the US is politically a dead-end with almost no constituency, as evidenced by even Bernie Sanders abandoning the movement and putting every ounce of support behind Joe Biden, the most conservative Democrat to be nominated for president in the current century.

[feelslikeadream]

I can't see OP, but I assume this is about today's fair and AOC posted a very long response to this "controversy" in her Insta story if anyone wants to learn more about it, straight from AOC and not random Twitter accounts and ATRLers whose primary targets are progressives 

[GraceRandolph]

Who needs conservatives with progressives like this?

[Weld_E]

I just saw her insta story discussing this. Not the OP spreading misinformation to fit their narrative!

[Communion]

On 3/20/2023 at 11:33 PM, feelslikeadream said:

I can't see OP, but I assume this is about today's fair and AOC posted a very long response to this "controversy" in her Insta story if anyone wants to learn more about it, straight from AOC and not random Twitter accounts and ATRLers whose primary targets are progressives 

 

On 3/21/2023 at 3:04 AM, Weld_E said:

I just saw her insta story discussing this. Not the OP spreading misinformation to fit their narrative!

"There's a difference between military recruitment and military colleges!!!" is really not the kind of defense you think it is, especially when the promoting of military colleges is part of the original complaint that one of you claim unable to see (I just know that user is fuming that blocking users doesn't also block their threads):

On 3/19/2023 at 4:30 PM, Communion said:

The US Department of Education are listed because it's an event for service academies - the armed forces' version of colleges, that have to be overseen by the Department of Education, while being run by the Department of Defense. Graduation is then tied to enlistment, ie: you get your engineering degree paid for and a living stipend, but then have to spend the next 5 years helping the DoD build deadlier bombs.

 

Her continued support for service academies is very reactionary and further complicates her claim to be progressive, as the military-industrial complex is the largest lobbyist against Free College, one of her pillar beliefs:

 

 

It's also not surprisiing to see affluent users like feelslikeadream who spent 2016 and 2020 attacking Sanders somehow feel as though their politics is akin to AOC's because of empty identity politics.  I guess fighting for Medicare For All is bad but fighting to ensure people of color can help build the next stealth weapon that blows up Syrians is part of the American diverse dream. 

 

All this left-punching by affluent neoliberals at progressives for being anti-war and thus anti-military, to the point of calling people who ask you not collab with the armed services as "disinformation campaigns" who are "putting your safety at risk". And for what? Because all her left-punching has done has made right-wingers call her a hypocrite as they claim she hasn't "shown enough respect to our men and women in service" and doesn't take her "recruitment duties" seriously as a congresswoman. 

 

 

 

Edited March 22, 2023 by Communion

[justjess]

More propaganda...yawn.

[Sesame]

On 3/19/2023 at 4:30 PM, Communion said:

The US Department of Education are listed because it's an event for service academies - the armed forces' version of colleges, that have to be overseen by the Department of Education, while being run by the Department of Defense. Graduation is then tied to enlistment, ie: you get your engineering degree paid for and a living stipend, but then have to spend the next 5 years helping the DoD build deadlier bombs.

 

Her continued support for service academies is very reactionary and further complicates her claim to be progressive, as the military-industrial complex is the largest lobbyist against Free College, one of her pillar beliefs:

 

 

Ocasio-Cortez explained that when students are applying to military college universities, such as West Point, there is an application requirement for a federal nomination from a member of Congress, a senator or other federal elected official. 
 

"We have a responsibility to inform people of that process and there were a couple of people there to talk about that," Ocasio-Cortez said trying to set the record straight regarding the military guests involvement at the event. "And even that was such a small fraction of the tables and what was there."

[Communion]

1 hour ago, Sesame said:

Ocasio-Cortez explained that when students are applying to military college universities, such as West Point, there is an application requirement for a federal nomination from a member of Congress, a senator or other federal elected official. 
 

"We have a responsibility to inform people of that process and there were a couple of people there to talk about that," Ocasio-Cortez said trying to set the record straight regarding the military guests involvement at the event. "And even that was such a small fraction of the tables and what was there."

Again, I'm not sure what's not clicking for you. If you don't support the military- which no progressive should- you do not then support recruiting peopoe into their organizations. You can only go to a military college by enlisting yourself up for service. It is literally military recruitment. 

 

Like I don't even think you're trolling. I think you earnestly think this powerful politician is "one of the good ones" and is your friend and people criticizing her are "mean haters" but I'm also asking you to realize such is bad politics and unhelpful for progressivism at large to have a parasocial relationship with someone indebted to organizations that kill people. 

 

Also, she was lying. The military academies don't require congressional recommendations. Recommendations can be from anyone - it's like saying letters of recommendation for colleges "need" to be from x when it's just "more impressive".

 

Even her comms director acknowledges it is military recruitment ("Access" LMAO) and former staffers are criticizing her:

 

 

If you believe someone can both be progressive and support the biggest terrorist organization in the world, including encouraging bombing innocent individuals, just say that. 

 

[AMIT]

a traitor 

[Sesame]

3 hours ago, Communion said:

Again, I'm not sure what's not clicking for you. If you don't support the military- which no progressive should- you do not then support recruiting peopoe into their organizations. You can only go to a military college by enlisting yourself up for service. It is literally military recruitment. 

 

Like I don't even think you're trolling. I think you earnestly think this powerful politician is "one of the good ones" and is your friend and people criticizing her are "mean haters" but I'm also asking you to realize such is bad politics and unhelpful for progressivism at large to have a parasocial relationship with someone indebted to organizations that kill people. 

 

Also, she was lying. The military academies don't require congressional recommendations. Recommendations can be from anyone - it's like saying letters of recommendation for colleges "need" to be from x when it's just "more impressive".

 

Even her comms director acknowledges it is military recruitment ("Access" LMAO) and former staffers are criticizing her:

 

 

If you believe someone can both be progressive and support the biggest terrorist organization in the world, including encouraging bombing innocent individuals, just say that. 

 

Girl you’re always SO ******* condescending and a lot of the time just flat out wrong, like right now. It took me one google search to realize this was, in fact, not true. 
 

Quote

Are the requirements the same for all of the Service Academies?

 

No. Although many of the qualifications are similar, each Academy operates under its own admissions guidelines. Visit each Academy’s website for more information on specific admission qualifications.

Quote

What is a nomination?

 

Members of Congress may nominate applicants who meet the eligibility requirements established by law (10 C.F.R. § 4346). A candidate may seek a nomination from the following:

 

A member of the U.S. House of Representatives who represents the congressional district in which the candidate resides

 

Each U.S. Senator from his/her state

 

Apply directly to the Vice-President of the United States

 

 

Oh look, the requirements from one that I just looked up (SPOILER: it’s not just ANyOnE)

 

 

Quote

Nomination Sources

• U.S. Senators, Representatives, and Delegates, The President of the U.S. (including the governor of Puerto Rico and the delegates to Congress from Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Northern Marianas Islands)
• The Vice President of the U.S.
• Army (Active, Reserve, and National Guard)
• Army Junior and Senior Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) Units and Honor ROTC Units of other services
• Children of deceased or disabled veterans and children of prisoners of war or servicemembers missing in action
• Children of Medal of Honor Awardees

If there’s a person from AOC’s district that wants to attend a military academy, do you think she should be allowed to refuse them a nomination if they meet all the merits, solely based on her own political views? Are you also in favor of county clerks denying gay people marriage certificates because they don’t agree with them? Sit the hell down girl, you sound stupid as ****.